What we’ve been doing
The weather on Easter Sunday was excellent, and we had a
very enjoyable time on our stall at the Perivale Wood Open Day. Our theme was
recycling, with particular reference to composting and gardening. It just
happened that we were asked to take on an activity showing children how to pot
up plants, which fitted in very well.
A few days later we joined Hounslow and Brentford FoE
on a stall for the
Sadly the weather was not good for the Litten Reserve
Open Day, with rain off and on during the afternoon discouraging visitors.
However it was quite pleasant to shelter under the trees and think how good the
rain was for them! When it wasn’t raining we engaged visitors with our
ever-popular Lucky Dip tips and occasional prizes of lemons, seeds, camomile
teabags.
What we’re going to be doing
We’re having a stall at Hanwell Carnival on Saturday
18 June (12 noon – 6.00 pm). Any offers of help welcomed – please email vfassnidge@yahoo.co.uk or call 020
8847 0016.
The following
weekend we are joining Hounslow & Brentford FoE’s stall at Osterley Day on
Sunday 26 June. This is a fun event with free activities and entertainment for
all the family, including free entry to the House and Gardens all day.
Plug Us In
At these stalls,
and elsewhere during the summer, we will be working on preparation for Friends
of the Earth’s forthcoming campaign about our energy future. The Government is
working on plans to redesign our electricity system as old power stations are
due to be replaced. FoE wants to change the way that people think about
electricity generation – to show that a renewables revolution is possible.
To help shape and prepare the campaign, FoE wants local groups to find out: what people care about and how we can best make the case to them for a different energy future; how much support there is for renewable energy in our community; who’s interested and who benefits from green energy and who we could work with locally. There are two activities designed to help with this: a survey to learn what members of the public think about energy, and creating case studies based on interviews with local businesses and organisations involved in green energy projects.
More about
this at the meeting on Wednesday 15 June
Future
meetings: Wednesday 20 July, topic tbc;
Wednesday 17 August: social event tbc
West London Waste Authority’s Waste Prevention Strategy and Action Plan
You’ll
remember that in February Sarah Dickinson, WLWA ‘s waste minimisation
co-ordinator, visited us to outline their strategy for waste prevention. The
strategy has now been approved.
A
composition analysis carried out in October last year identified the materials
in the waste thrown away by West London residents. The most common items thrown
away in the residual waste (i.e in bins or bags, not recycled or composted)
were: paper (other than newspaper and magazines) including telephone
directories, junk mail, tissue and paper towels; cardboard (including
tetrapaks); plastic film; textiles and footwear; disposable nappies; food waste
including peelings and uneaten food. In Ealing, this last item made up just
over 26% by weight of the residual waste.
Other data
included waste from schools, items taken to household waste and recycling
centres and bulky items.
The
strategy will focus on items that materials that have a high negative impact on
the natural environment, cannot also be recycled or have a higher value when
either prevented or reused. The following material streams will be prioritised:
- Food (preventing waste)
- Textiles and shoes
(encouraging reuse)
- Disposable nappies
(preventing waste)
- Electrical items (encouraging
reuse)
- Furniture (encouraging reuse)
Sarah would be very pleased to visit us again to
discuss WLWA’s plans for waste reduction, and if there is any particular
material stream we’d like her to focus on she would be happy to do so. There
are opportunities for us to get involved in some of the activities if we would
like to, e.g. food waste prevention and composting awareness events. She
welcomes comments on the website www.westlondonwaste.gov.uk and suggestions for content.
Urban Gardens
The
Royal Horticultural Society has just launched a new campaign
on the importance of urban gardens based on quite extensive research .The key
findings were: urban garden plants and trees help to cool the air in towns and
cities, helping to combat dangerous temperatures caused by heat waves; trees
and hedges can bring energy costs down in winter by providing insulation;
garden plants and trees intercept intense rain and slow runoff, while garden
soil absorbs rainwater, reducing the risk of flooding; urban gardens support a
range of wildlife and help to maintain biodiversity; gardening has a beneficial
effect on mental and physical health. There are some potentially negative
aspects of urban gardening, in particular the need for water, and the indirect
contribution to carbon emissions through the consumption of manufactured and
transported horticultural goods and the use of power tools.
The RHS has produced a useful 4 page leaflet which can be downloaded here:
http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Sustainable-gardening/pdfs/RHS-urban-greening
and you can find much other valuable information on
sustainable gardening on their website, including a number of leaflets on
conservation and environmental issues.
Another
interesting publication is London: Garden City? a research project
carried out for the London Wildlife Trust, Greenspace Information for Greater
London and the Greater London Authority.
Gardens cover
nearly a quarter of Greater London, and as already outlined, they are valuable
in many ways. But they are under threat. This project establishes the current
garden resource in London, quantifies recent land cover changes in London’s
gardens, and provides evidence for campaigns, policy and other action to
promote and protect gardens as an important environmental asset.
It highlights the
significant changes that have taken place in recent years: garden greenspace
has been lost at the rate of two and a half Hyde Parks per year and hard
surfacing increased by over 25% in the 100-month study period.
A summary of the
report can be downloaded from the London Wildlife Trust’s website www.wildlondon.org.uk
Ealing Green Drinks
This event, hosted
by Ealing FoE, is now at the King’s Arms, The Grove, W5 5DX, on the last
Tuesday of each month from 8pm till closing.
Civic Day 2011
Saturday 25 June, 2.00 pm
Northala Fields Visitors Centre, Kensington Road, Northolt UB5
Ealing Civic Society invites you to celebrate Civic Day 2011 at Northala Fields, Ealing’s newest country park. There will be a short talk on the design and construction of the park, followed at 2.30 by a guided tour.
See www.ealingcivicsociety.org for
further details
Walking with
Wildlife: More of John Wells’ highly
recommended wildlife walks
Saturday 2 July: Let’s explore the Triangle’s
wildlife.
Meet: At Gunnersbury Triangle Nature Reserve entrance in
Bollo Lane 2pm
Public Transport: Underground (District Line),
Chiswick Park Station. Buses 27,237, 267,272,391,440 and E3 pass nearby. Note:
On behalf of The London Wildlife Trust.
Sunday 3 July: A summer wildlife stroll around
Bedfont Lakes.
Meet: At the Clockhouse Lane exhibition centre 2pm.
Public Transport: Bus 116 to Clockhouse Roundabout
then 15mins walk.
On behalf of Hounslow Countryside Rangers. Please note Hounslow charge a fee of £2 (£1 concessions).
Friday 8 July: A history and natural history
walkabout of Brentford with John and historian Diana
Willment
Meet: Outside
Goddards/Half Acre at 6.30pm (and
end at The Watermans Arms pub!)
Public Transport: Brentford Station (South West
Trains) then 10 min walk. Buses 95, 235,237,267,E2 and E8.
Sunday 10 July: A wildlife walk by the river from
Richmond to Kingston via Ham Lands.
Meet: Richmond
Station 10am. Bring lunch and water.
Saturday
16 July: The butterflies and dragonflies of Bookham Common.
Meet: Richmond Station 10am (buy a day return to
Bookham via Clapham Junction. Bring
lunch and water.
Sunday 31 July: A wildlife walk about the green belt
farmland of Chessington.
Meet: Chessington South Station 11am
Public Transport:
Chessington South Station, South West Trains (check for engineering works!) and
bus 71 (bus 65 if coming from Ealing to Kingston then bus 71 - allow at least
1.5 hrs!). Bring lunch and water.
Thames 21
Thames21 is an environmental charity working with
communities to bring London's waterways to life. Every year thousands of
volunteers clean up waterside grot-spots, remove graffiti and create new
habitats for wildlife. It also runs nature walks in various parts of London. To
find out more visit www.thames21.org.uk
Clean-up events
include:
Friday 8 July, 10.00 – 1.00: Gunnersbury Park Regeneration Event
Removing brambles to open up the pond area. Location: The museum in the Large Mansion in Gunnersbury
Park.
Wednesday 20 July, 10.00 – 1.00: Hanwell Side Ponds Regeneration Event
Activities include, painting fences, removing litter, and creating pathways.
Location: Meet end of Green Lane, Hanwell, London, W7 2PJ
No experience is required and all equipment is
provided. Wear clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty.
No need to
register just turn up on the day!
Walks include:
Monday 22 June, 10.30 –
2.00: Walk from Osterley Lock to Greenford (8.8 km)
Monday 11 July, 10.30 –
12.00: Elthorne Park Nature Walk (3.2 km)
Monday 18 July, 10.30 –
2.00: Richmond Bridge to Osterley Lock Nature Walk (8 km)
To find out about/register for local walks, see website or
email judith.ressler@thames21.org.uk